Cooking more with yonder crockpot.

November 19, 2007 5:11 PM

I am craving slow-cooked goodness. Please share your favorite crock-pot recipes!

I love to cook but sometimes get lazy, and there's really something wonderful about a house that smells delicious from being cooked in all day, especially now that it's winter. I'm also a huge fan of throwing random foods together and MacGuyvering them to taste awesome.

I've seen this and while handy I'm craving more! I know how to do the usual awesome pot roast w/ carrots and potatoes dish, and I've tried some spaghetti dishes (spaghetti pot roast was one-- but while very tasty, the oils in the meat came out in the sauce, so maybe not my wisest move), but I'd love to hear of great soups, stews, and unexpected recipes for the crockpot (preferably online recipes unless there's a cookbook you swear by!). Chicken? Baked goods? Ethnic recipes? Bread? Risotto? (Can you even do risotto in a crockpot?) Healthier options are always a bonus too-- and I don't mind a little extra legwork if necessary if it helps me reach crock-pot nirvana. Teach me so I can revel in more than just pot roast!

posted by actionpact to food & drink (24 comments total)

Alton Brown's Overnight Oatmeal is early morning OMG goodness. I found that his recipe calls for about twice as much fruit than is really needed, and I was able to freely substitute blueberries and strawberries, but YMMV.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:14 PM on November 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

I make pudding cake in my crock pot. I think it's just okay, but everyone else who's tried my pudding cake loves it. This is closest to the recipe I use, but you can find a ton of recipes if you Google "crock pot pudding cake."
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:17 PM on November 19, 2007

Crockpots are great. Be sure to brown meat before putting it in the crockpot for better flavor. I'd highly recommend Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook but if you don't online recipes, try this site. This is probably my all-time favorite slow cooker recipe.
posted by danb1 at 5:21 PM on November 19, 2007

Brown a pound or so of your favorite ground beef, add to crock with can of corn, drained, small head of cabbage cut into quarters or eighths, ad a 16 oz. jar of picante type of the heat LOWER than you normally use, enjoy!
posted by raildr at 5:36 PM on November 19, 2007

previously, too
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:37 PM on November 19, 2007

Two onions, sliced thin. Pork chops. Salt. Pepper. Sage. Time (not thyme, tho that might be good, too).
posted by eafarris at 5:48 PM on November 19, 2007

I just made a reaaaaaally good navy bean soup.

I package dried beans. Either soak over night and drain or put in the crockpot with water for a cycle and then drain.

Combine the pre-soaked beans with:

Water to cover generously
One onion
Two carrots
Two celery stalks
2 bay leaves
3-4 cloves garlic
5-6 black peppercorns
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Let cook all day or overnight. Add salt. Add also smoked kielbasa. Add a quart of tomatoes (1-2 cans. Mine were home-canned). Add chicken stock if it's too dry.

You don't want to add any salt or acid until the very end of the process because it messes with the reconstitution of the beans for some reason.

If you grew up with Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup? This is a way, way, way better facsimile, and I wasn't even going for that. YUM.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:13 PM on November 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

Oh damn, I forgot the best part. Add some swiss chard in there, chopped up.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:16 PM on November 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

one of my favorite stews is a moroccan tagine--i'm sure you can prepare it exactly as you would any meat stew.

for a pound of cubed lamb, add a can of diced tomatoes, a quarter cup of diced onion, a teaspoon or two of minced garlic, a small diced zucchini, a can of drained chickpeas, a cup of minced dried fruit (i like apricots and prunes), ten or twelve chopped kalamata olives, a couple of tablespoons of honey. cover with chicken stock. add salt, pepper, and a bay leaf at the beginning; about half an hour before serving, add cayenne to taste, a pinch of cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon of turmeric, a teaspoon of grated ginger, a half teaspoon of coriander, and a teaspoon of cumin (adjust to taste--you can also use a premixed garam masala with good results). remove the bay leaf and serve over couscous or rice.
posted by thinkingwoman at 6:42 PM on November 19, 2007

Potatoes are fantastic in the slow. Quarter large red potatoes (or halve the small ones), add salt, pepper, olive oil, thinly sliced garlic, lemon (I like using powdered lemon so I don't add more liquid to the mix). Put the lid on, cook on high for 6 hours or so, stir it around once or twice. Sooo yummy.

Also, I make black beans in the slow cooker:

2 cans of drained black beans
1 extra large can of chopped tomato
1/2 cup of lemon or lime juice
several tablespoons of chopped garlic
tablespoon of oregano
2 chopped onions

Dump all into crock pot, cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3.
posted by necessitas at 6:46 PM on November 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

4 pork steaks.
1 can of sauerkraut.
2 large sweet potatoes chunked.
1 bigass vidalia onion sliced.
3 green apples sliced.

Throw it in the crockpot on low. Forget for 8 hours.
Scoop on top of French bread and eat.
posted by pieoverdone at 6:50 PM on November 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

I have a copy of Better Home & Garden's Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes Vol. 2, and I just made a crock of Fish Chowder (pg 221) Saturday. It was good. They forgot the bacon in the recipe, but that was easily remedied (no self-respecting chowder is baconless). I had to cut out some of the liquid due to volume, but it turned out OK.
Hopefully, the copyright gods aren't going to smack me around on this:

• 3 Lb Fish Fillets (Cod, Haddock, etc.; Thaw if frozen)
• 2 Lb Potatoes, peeled & chopped
• 3 large onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup Celery, chopped
• 2 T Butter/margarine
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 1 T Salt
• 3/4 t Dill weed (Dried)
• 3/4 t Black Pepper
• 3 cups Water
• 3/4 cup Vermouth/White wine/Water
• 3 cups Cream (whipping or half-and-half)
• 1/3 cup snipped Parsley
• 1/2 Lb Bacon

1. cook Bacon until crispy, and tear into chunks.
2. Combine Potatoes, Onions, Celery, Bacon, Butter, Bay leaves, Salt, Dill, Pepper and Water/Vermouth. Stir.
3. Cover and cook. ~7 hrs on low, ~3 hrs on high.
4. While the veggies are cooking:
1. rinse & pat dry the Fish. cut into ~2 inch squares. cover & put in fridge
5. If using 'low' turn to 'high'
6. Put Fish on top of the veggies, cover and cook for 30-45 minutes (or until fish is flaky)
7. Break Fish into bite-size chunks.
8. Stir in cream & parsley

mmmmmm.....

Substitute whatever kind of seafood you want for the fish. out in Seattle they use salmon for chowder (gasp!).
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:06 PM on November 19, 2007

Seconding Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker. The Gourmet Slow Cooker is also very good.
posted by boomchicka at 8:23 PM on November 19, 2007

Take a 24-ounce (-ish--the ones they sell individually, rather than in pairs) cornish hen. Remove as much skin as you can. In crock pot, layer:
A couple of diced red potatoes
A good-sized onion, cut up into stew-sized pieces
Cornish hen
A few good handsful of baby carrots

Then add a bay leaf or two, a sprig of fresh rosemary if you have it around (or a sprinkle of dried rosemary), a couple of peeled/smashed cloves of garlic, and about a cup of chicken broth. Start crock pot and go to work or whatever. When you get home, pull out the falling-apart chicken parts and remove bones, then add everything back together. Add salt and pepper as needed (also excellent with some Sriracha).

You could totally do this with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs as well, but the cornish hen is really tasty, the perfect size, and often pretty cheap.
posted by paleography at 9:30 PM on November 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

Easy and Quick to Prepare: Meatballs
Great for potlucks!

**One box of frozen meatballs (100 to 120)
**One jar of Chili Sauce
**One jar of Grape Jelly
**Lemon Juice (from half a lemon)

1. Put the meatballs in the crockpot.
2. Mix the Chili sauce, Grape Jelly and lemon juice.
3. Pour over the meatballs, put it on low for 5-6 hours, and voila!
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 4:36 AM on November 20, 2007

Mmmm, these all sound really great! Although I am a little perplexed by the jelly + meatballs? Curious!

Thanks everybody (thanks for the book suggestions too!), if you know any more feel free to share!
posted by actionpact at 8:00 AM on November 20, 2007

I can attest that the grape jelly in meatballs turns out awesome!

Here's one of my favorites:

BBQ Pulled Pork
1 pork shoulder, loin, or butt (browned if you like, but I never do)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small ripe tomatoes, diced
Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
BBQ sauce, either homemade or storebought-- enough to cover the roast almost all the way.

Optional, to taste:
Powdered red pepper
Dried chili peppers
White vinegar
Mustard
Brown Sugar
Hot sauce

Stir all ingredients except roast into crock. Add roast, cover crock, set to LOW.

After a few hours, check roast. If it's drying out on top, flip it over in crock.

Meat is ready when pork bone pulls out with no meat hanging on, or (for boneless roast) when meat falls apart when poked with a fork.

When meat is ready, shred it from the center of the crock outward with two forks. When meat is all shredded, stir it well into the sauce that remains in the crock.

Turn off heat and let meat soak-- the longer the better!

At mealtime, spoon pork onto buns, or onto 2 slices of white bread on a plate open-faced.

Top with coleslaw and hot sauce (optional).

*Wiping drool from keyboard*
posted by Rykey at 8:29 AM on November 20, 2007

Gosh that pulled pork sounds delicious, Rykey. I'm totally trying that one.

So do the aforementioned meatballs taste grape at all Or is it just a general sweetness? I never would've thought grape + meat would combine!
posted by actionpact at 10:52 AM on November 20, 2007

The grape jelly + salsa meatballs are awesome. A favorite of my in-laws. I was very suspicious at first, but it's really true. They're scary but great. Serve in a little dish with toothpicks. They're good warm.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:05 AM on November 20, 2007

Nope, it's not grapey. It's just good. Not sure why the combination of grape jelly and meat is good--I'm guessing it's mostly the sweetness, but maybe the grape flavoring complements the meatballs in some way--like a bastardized version of adding wine to a recipe.
posted by Rykey at 11:55 AM on November 20, 2007

Seriously some of the best and easiest soup I've ever made:

2 cans cream of celery condensed soup.
Put condensed soup in crockpot, and add one can of milk/soymilk.
Add one 8 oz. brick of good sharp cheddar, cut into little blocks.
Stir to combine soup/milk.
Heat on low, 3-4 hours. Stir it just occasionally to ensure it's not burning on the bottom. You want the cheese cubes to start to melt, but not totally.

Eat with good croutons on top.

Heavenly, I shit you not.
posted by tr33hggr at 12:39 PM on November 20, 2007

Oh, add a few dashes of (vegetarian for us, but whatever) worstechire sauce.
posted by tr33hggr at 12:40 PM on November 20, 2007

I just made a batch of the Belgian stew danb1 linked to, and it is really good. To make it work well in a crock pot, all you need to do is use less liquid than the recipe calls for (I used about 3/4 of a bottle of beer, plus about 1/3 of a glass of red wine); I also skipped the step of "dredging" the meat in flour, added carrots and celery, and put in some chicken bullion instead of salt. Intensely rich and flavorful -- making things like this are why I bought the crock pot in the first place.
posted by Forktine at 9:03 PM on November 20, 2007

Today, I am making one of my favorite easy soups, and it can be totallly Vegan, if you want it that way:

1 1/2 - 2 cups split peas
2 peeled and cubed potatoes
2 cups broth (vegetable if you want it vegan)
water (not sure how much: 2 cups?)
1/2 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper, to taste

cook on low, 4-6 hours, until done. Yum!
posted by annsunny at 9:09 AM on November 29, 2007 [3 favorites]